I have hit that illustrious 100th post. I actually hit it about 2 days ago, but noticed it today. Wow, 100 bits of inspiration {cough}…100 bits of revelation {choke}…100 tidbits of wisdom {gasp}. Along the way I have made lots of new friends, received encouragement, wisdom and lots of laughs! I want to thank each and every one of you. Whether you lurk or you post thanks for stopping by. So what illuminating bit of wisdom does the 100th post warrant? How do I condense the first 100 into a nugget you can take with you? I can get that down to just one sentence, but it is not original and I believe someone came up with it first:

Just DO it!

Blog, craft, inspire, daydream, believe, wish, love, laugh…whatever you feel like doing, just do it! It is never acceptable to say “I won’t,” but to think “how can I?”

I believe a giveaway is in order, so here goes:

If you post a comment on this thread by the 3rd of December (eek, December already?) and tell me something new that you have either have done or want to do and you are in the drawing.

You and I will discuss your likes from all of the items from the vast pool of craftiness that is Cindy is Crafty and one of them will be yours. Keep in mind that it may not be exactly the same due to fabrics, buttons, etc.

There you go! By the time I get to 200, I might rethink this concept. Hey, I am new and first 100 post giddy right now…take advantage of it!

And lastly, here is a recipe that I made this morning to take to a friend today. It is a holiday favorite of my friends and I and soon, I hope, yours too!

Cinny do! I love reading blogs and getting inspired, getting new ideas, and because I am nosy and want to know what you are up to! You never cease to amaze me with your creativity.

Yesterday, I saw a post on showing a wreath made from a coiled pipe cleaner. I had to stop at Michaels to get some candy canes to finish my snowmen, so while I was there I bought some pipe cleaners and embellishments for the holiday. The candy canes I bought for the snowmen to use for arms.

Wrap a pipe cleaner around a pencil tightly and then stretch it out a bit (each wreath takes 2). I then coiled the ends into each other to form the wreath. Add some embellishments and a bit of ribbon and you are in business. Minutes of time and you have an heirloom.

Next, I was onto a felted wool and button ring I saw. As you know, I have a plethora of felted wool and buttons.

Cut the felted wool, blanket stitch it together and then sew on the button. This one was a button that I found thrifting yesterday. Isn’t it cool! You can make them a bit smaller as they stretch a bit and depending on how much you wear it might get too big if you make it to size. Cute, original, and fun!

Lastly, I finished (a few days ago) my Christmas fabric postcard for my 1 :1 swap with Kate. Since I believe she checks my blog, here is a sneak peek. I will mail it at the end of next week to her in England, after she has received it I will post the entire card. It was inspired by a posting on a card making blog I saw.

…really do flock together! I spent the evening yesterday watching the Dancing finals and creating these treasures. I am glad that Helio won. He was such a sweetie and great dancer, too.

I cut the felted wool into strips and then wrapped the strips around Styrofoam balls. I used straight pins at each end to keep them in place. Then, they were embellished with beads, an acorn cap hat and a snowflake. I added a bit of striped felted wool for the scarf. I need to scour the yard to see if I can find some small sticks for the arms for each.

I like that they ended up a bit wonky depending on how the balls fit best together. That is part of their charm.

Then I moved onto this Seussical Inspired tree.

The base was covered with the green felted wool a few days ago which was pinned and glued. Lace garland was coiled around it. Last night, I added the beads and the jazzy tree topper.

If you live in Richmond, this Friday is the Grand Illumination at the James Center. It is lovely to see all the reindeer (hundreds and hundreds) all lit up in white lights. My favorite part is searching for the one reindeer that they give the red nose. If you are in the area be sure to check it out.

I went to Diversity Thrift yesterday and they had 2 totes of scarves marked at $1 each. Since I love scarves and handmade stuff, I dug around. Imagine my surprise when out I pulled this shawl.

I thought this must be a mistake and checked it carefully for the tag with the real price on it. It was not there. Diversity has a policy that if it is not priced that you cannot buy it that day. It is sent to be priced and you can buy it another day. I took it to the register and let them know where I found it and got it for $1! HOW COOL IS THAT!

It is in perfect condition with no holes, pulls or stains. I am thrilled! Wraps, scarves and such are the greatest for this time of year. When you never know how the temp will go. Also, since I am a plus size kinda girl, it was also stunning that it fit with enough to wrap over the shoulder. Ah….life is good!

I also got some fabric scraps, small satin roses, a wee book, a vintage dictionary, a Japanese piano chord book, and 2 smallish cookbooks for a friend that loves cookbooks. All for the great sum of $5 total including my shawl.

The necktie flowers are still in progress since I was out most of the day yesterday. All that is left are the buttons (covered for the daisies) and uncovered for the roses.

To make the covered buttons for the daisies, I use large flat buttons, a bit of batting, and a yo-yo of fabric. I stuff the yo-yo, cover the button and then sew it tight around it. I then sew the button to the fabric from the sides of the button instead of using the holes.

Today I am working on some projects involving the left over tie pieces from my necktie scarves. I use every bit of the ties.

From the 2″ at the very end I use this pattern for necktie daisies. And for the piece in between I make necktie roses. Mine are not as full as I am not using as large a piece of tie. I use about 12″ or so depending on the length of the tie. I also stitch the pin back directly to the flower instead of gluing. I feel it is more secure.

And here is a recipe to share. It is much more appetizing than its name! Even better when warmed up the day after and topped with whipped cream and/or ice cream.

Dump Cake

Submitted by: Wilma HullRated: 5 out of 5 by 66 members

Prep Time: 10 MinutesCook Time: 40 Minutes

Ready In: 50 MinutesYields: 24 servings

“This cake is just as easy as dumping ingredients in a pan.”

INGREDIENTS:

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie

filling (or any pie filling)

1 (15 ounce) can crushed

pineapple (tuna can sized)

1 (18.25 ounce) package

yellow cake mix

8 ounces chopped walnuts

1/2 cup butter (1 use 1 stick of margarine)

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a 9×13 inch pan dump cherries and pineapple. Do not mix. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pineapple, and cherry mixture stir until just combined. Then sprinkle walnuts over top. Drizzle top with melted butter or margarine. (I cut the stick of margarine into pats and be sure to cover the entire top as this helps to brown it.)

2.

Bake in a 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 35 or 40 minutes or until golden brown.

I finished the snow Dotee yesterday evening and am thrilled with how she finished up. Take a look at this beauty!

She is resplendent in her pink beads, snowflakes, crystals and pearls. Her pink hair is from wool roving. It started as two long Rapunzel type braids, but I didn’t like that look so decided she needed an updo. I love her sweet little face. Instead of felt for her face I used a fabric with a faint blue flower print. She has big blue eyes and I added some eyelids to make her look a bit sleepy.

After some research on the Rudolph book which I found thrifting the other day I found that it is a 1947 edition and that the original Rudolph story was written in 1939. Here is some history on the story here and how it came to be.

The story was written by Robert L. May of Evanston, Illinois for Montgomery Ward for free distribution during the Christmas season, 1939. There were two issues of the 1939 edition. The regular issue, of which some 2.4 million copies were printed, was given away to customers and customers’ children at Montgomery Ward stores. This issue is bound in glossy red paper wrappers with Rudolph illustrated on the front and a “Merry Christmas” greeting from Montgomery Ward on the back. The book measures 10-1/4 x 7-1/2 inches, and contains [32] pages, plus wrappers. It is illustrated throughout in red, brown, and two shades of blue. The illustrator was Denver Gillan.There was also a limited issue of 1000 copies bound in brown cloth with the front wrapper (only) of the regular issue laid down on the front cover. This edition was distributed to executives of Montgomery Ward and other company VIPs including suppliers. I have seen a copy bound in red cloth with both front and back wrappers laid down, but I believe this to be merely a rebound copy, as I have it on May’s own authority that the back cover of the issue of 1000 is devoid of illustration. A second edition of Rudolph was published in 1946. This edition, of which 3.6 million copies were printed, is identical to the first edition of 1939 except for two changes in the illustrations. In the first edition on page [9] the airplane has only three engines. By 1946 four-engine planes had come into prominence, and the illustration was changed to depict a plane with four engines (my copy has 4 engines on the plane). Also, in the 1939 edition page [6] shows elves helping Santa load his sleigh. In the 1946 edition the elves are not present (missing elves in mine).

Based on the sensational success of the Rudolph character, a trade edition was published by Maxton Publishers, Inc., New York, in 1947, in the publisher’s “Maxton Books for Little People” series (this is my copy). The (unattributed) illustrations are by Marion Guild. It measures 10-1/8 x 71/8 inches and is bound in glazed pictorial paper covered boards, with Maxton ads on the back cover. This edition contains [32] pages and is illustrated throughout.Maxton also published a pop-up edition of Rudolph in 1950. This is spiral-bound in stiff paper wrappers, also with illustrations by Marion Guild. It measures 10-5/8 x 8-1/2 inches. There are 5 pop-ups and a number of other illustrations throughout.As an aside, Paul Wing made a recording of the Rudolph story on the RCA-Victor label, a double album produced in 1947. In 1949. composer Johnny Marks, who was a friend of May, wrote a song about Rudolph. It was recorded in 1949 by Gene Autry, and it became Autry’s biggest selling record. There were also Rudolph slippers, Rudolph cuddle-toy, Rudolph jigsaw puzzles, a Rudolph push-out “puzzle toy,” and a Rudolph sweatshirt, all available from Montgomery Ward.From Between the Covers

The story inside is not the same story as the one we are familiar with now. Instead of living at the North Pole he lives at home with his parents.

Lastly, here is a cool site I found recently. If your tennies need a little pizazz you might want to try some of these lacing techniques. This one is my favorite. Might give it a try when I have more time.

Yesterday, while I was waiting to leave for Thanksgiving dinner…watching the parade…the dog show…Miracle on 34th Street…etc, etc, etc…the thought hit me why not try to make a snowman. It was inspired by a post from Danny Seo’s blog which I talked about here.

So out came the styrofoam balls, the felted wool sweaters, and the button jars. There is a lot I would change, but I like how it ended up.

Then I thought…..ooooohhhhhh…a snowy Dotee Doll! She is still a WIP, will have to show the finished product later. She is sewn together and her face is done, but that is all. I have thoughts about how I want to decorate her, but they are still fermenting.

Hope your Thanksgiving was a great one. I sent this recipe to Christy for our Thanksgiving swap and thought I would share it with you here. It is easy to make and tastes/looks like a million bucks! Your guests will be impressed, too.

Cranberry Holiday Brie

Paula Deen

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sheet (1/2 package) frozen puff pastry dough

• 1 egg

• 3/4 cup apricot preserves

• 2 tablespoons orange juice

• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

• 1 Brie cheese, about 13 ounces

• Water Crackers

DIRECTIONS

1. Allow the pastry sheet to thaw in the package about 30 minutes, until pliable. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water to make egg wash. Set aside.
2. Lightly flour a large wooden cutting board and roll out the pastry dough into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners to make a circle. Save the extra dough to cut into decorative shapes for a garnish.
3. Spread apricot preserves on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch margin around all edges.
4. Pour the orange juice into a small glass dish and add the cranberries, allowing them to absorb the flavor of the orange juice for about five minutes, until the cranberries are soft. Drain the cranberries. Arrange them evenly on top of the apricot preserves. Arrange the almonds evenly on the cranberries. Place the brie on top of the almonds.
5. Brush the edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Completely seal the Brie in the Puff pastry. Seal the edges by brushing the egg wash on one edge, as if you are gluing edges together.
6. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the Brie seem side down on the sheet. Decorate the top with cutouts from scraps of dough.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving; the cheese will be runny if cut too early. Serve with crackers.

Does it? I cannot tell you how many times I have made something, bought something, had an urge to thrift, etc that it didn’t hit on something. Let me explain…

I made this brooch for a swap recently. The recipient sent me a thank you recently and let me know that she loved it because she lived in a yellow cape cod and it reminded her of her home. I sent my swap package to Christy. In it I placed a small quilt pattern that I thought she might like. She never mentioned liking quilting to me I just thought she would like it. This was her comment: a miniature quilt pattern (rotary cutting & topstitching! I love topstitching!) I had no idea!

Yesterday I was driving around on an errand to drop off some items to a friend and had an urge to go to the local Goodwill. Look what I found!

A 1939 edition of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with the original dust jacket! The illustrations are lovely, the pages still intact, no coloring or pencil. It is a jewel. I thought I might use it for the images, but a book this lovely and nearly perfect must be kept in tact.

So do we, the creative, have a 6th sense? If so, mine must be firing on all six cylinders lately!

Have a great turkey day!

Quote O’ The Month

"What this world needs
is a new kind of army
- the army of the kind."
~Cleveland Amory